“We go to sea to feed our families. But the mafias use explosives to catch huge quantities of fish at one go. Yet, the police come only after people like us,” laments a fisherman from Batighar village in Kendrapada in the Indian state of Odisha, as he tries to explain how the traditional fishing community is at a loss, though it hardly overexploits the resources at its disposal.
For years, conservationists have been exploring ways to increase the fish population along Odisha’s coast, besides protecting the breeding grounds of Olive Ridley turtles, a species recognised as ‘vulnerable’ by the IUCN Red List.
Traditional fisherfolk, who are key to such efforts, have mostly welcomed them, despite incurring heavy losses. For example, the Gahirmatha coast in Kendrapara district has a blanket ban on fishing in place as it is the largest nesting spot of the Ridleys.
Additionally, the state government has prohibited fishing within 20 km of the coast at the river mouths of the Rushikulya, Devi and Dhamra during the turtle breeding season that extends from November to May.
This affects the livelihood of tens of thousands of fisherfolk, who have to fall back on government aid for sustenance. “The incentive is meagre. Around 1,500 families get Rs 7,500 per month when the ban is in place,” Kanda Alaya, secretary, Odisha Traditional Fishermen Union, tells 101Reporters.
He says the scheme has failed to compensate for the loss incurred by the community, forcing many to migrate to cities for work.